Orlando Magic Schedule Breakdown and Record Predictions for December
The Orlando Magic currently sit at 6-10, five games back of the Southeast Division-leading Washington Wizards just six weeks into the NBA season.
But there is perhaps no better time to look toward a fresh start than now, on the heels of a 32-point loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.
However, the future doesn't look much brighter.
After finishing November with a matchup against the Golden State Warriors at home, they embark on a six-game stretch out west to kick off December.
It's there, in the minefield that is the NBA's Western Conference, where the Magic will face their first extended road trip of the season.
They will square off against some of the league's best, including another game against the Warriors as well as clashes with the Los Angeles Clippers and the upstart Sacramento Kings.
They even get one more crack at the Cavaliers before New Year's Eve, but by then, December may have already taken a significant toll on the Magic.
December presents a series of unique challenges for a team still very much trying to find its way. Here is a breakdown of the upcoming month and how the Magic should fare against the competition.
Week 1: December 1-6
1 of 6
December 2 @ Golden State Warriors
December 3 @ Los Angeles Clippers
December 5 @ Utah Jazz
December 6 @ Sacramento Kings
What a way to open the month.
By the time Orlando rolls into the Bay Area to take on the Warriors, it will be the third game in a six-game segment on the road. At 10-2, the first-place Warriors present the toughest task for Orlando during this stretch.
Golden State is a juggernaut offensively, ranking second in the league in points per game (106.5), second in field-goal percentage (.485) and fifth in three-point percentage (.377).
It is a team Orlando simply has trouble matching up against—as many other teams do—thanks in large part to the Magic's defensive deficiencies. Orlando ranks 21st in both opponents' field-goal percentage (.459) and three-point percentage (.356).
In other words, expect a big night from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Still reeling from a barrage of three-pointers, the Magic then travel down to the Staples Center for the second game of a back-to-back against the Clippers. Los Angeles throttled Orlando on November 19, 114-90.
Much like Golden State, the Clippers rank among the top 10 in most offensive statistics, but they can be had in other areas.
For one, they are a terrible rebounding team, despite the presence of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, ranking 29th in the league (37.4 per game). Orlando, on the other hand, is tied for 11th in the NBA with 42.9 rebounds per game, thanks in large part to the continued dominance on the glass by Nikola Vucevic and inspired play from Tobias Harris.
The Clippers' perimeter defense has been shoddy all season as well, leaving open the possibility for Evan Fournier and the third-best three-point shooting team in the NBA to pull off the upset.
Ultimately, the team's best chance to snag a victory this week is against the Utah Jazz (5-10) after a much-needed night off. Then it's a trip back to California against DeMarcus Cousins and the surprising Kings (8-5).
Sacramento ranks in the top 10 among all teams in both scoring and rebounding, and with three days off and a return to Orlando on the horizon, the Magic mercifully complete the week fortunate to grab one win.
Projected Record: 1-3
Week 2: December 7-13
2 of 6
December 10 vs. Washington Wizards
December 12 @ Atlanta Hawks
December 13 vs. Atlanta Hawks
The Magic come home to find an old nemesis: the Washington Wizards. This will already be the third time these teams have faced each other this season, with Washington winning both prior matchups.
In their first tango, John Wall erupted for 30 points and 12 assists while helping force six turnovers from rookie Magic point guard Elfrid Payton. In the rematch on November 15, the Wizards had six players score in double figures en route to a 98-95 win.
"Hopefully we are a team that does not give excuses," Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said via the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com) after that second meeting. "We give them credit for coming to play tonight, playing with some physicality and giving great effort with their bench guys."
Washington is skilled defensively, ranking eighth in points allowed (95.9), 10th in rebounding (43.0) and sixth in field-goal percentage (.432). The team scores a modest 99.3 points a game, but ranks third in assists (24.7) due in large part to a career year thus far from Wall.
The presence of Victor Oladipo in this game cannot be understated either. If he can slow down Wall by forcing turnovers and pestering him on each possession, the Magic can give Washington trouble in the frontcourt.
Oladipo missed their first meeting, when Wall went off, but played 32 minutes in the second game, helping to hold Wall to just 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting.
The third time's the charm for Orlando in this spot as they squeak out a close win in front of the home crowd. The three days of rest leading up to this game will help tremendously.
After playing the Wizards, Orlando goes back on the road for the front end of a home-and-home against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Hawks currently sit at 6-5 behind Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and a healthy Al Horford. Millsap leads the team in both scoring (17.7) and rebounding (8.4). Despite the presence of Millsap and Horford, the Hawks rank just 26th among all teams in rebounding and 25th in points allowed.
Expect a split here with each home team grabbing a win, giving the Magic a solid bounce-back week.
Projected Record: 2-1
Week 3: December 14-20
3 of 6
December 15 @ Toronto Raptors
December 17 @ Boston Celtics
December 19 vs. Utah Jazz
The Magic open this week's games with a trip up north to yet another division leader: the 12-2 Toronto Raptors.
Toronto has been truly excellent all season, boasting the Eastern Conference's best record and a league-leading plus-11.6 point differential.
This is the second time these two teams will meet this season, after Toronto shut down Orlando 108-95 on November 1. In that game, the Raptors backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combined for 45 points.
Expect much of the same in this game. Toronto is firing on all cylinders at this point and has been dominant at the Air Canada Centre, where the team is 9-1.
Orlando then travels to Boston for a matchup against the Celtics. Boston has been experiencing similar growing pains this season, as it is another team in the midst of a long-term rebuild back toward becoming a legitimate contender in the East.
Boston's offense ranks fifth in the NBA in scoring (104.7), and they currently lead the league in assists (25.8), but they are just 4-8 thus far.
With Boston sporting the league's 28th-ranked defense, this could be a great opportunity for Orlando to grab a road win after facing a tough Toronto team.
They finally return home to face the Jazz for the second time in two weeks. After giving Orlando a victory at Utah earlier in the month, this is a perfect spot for a letdown at the Amway Center, with the Jazz exacting revenge.
Projected Record: 1-2
Week 4: December 21-27
4 of 6
December 21 vs. Philadelphia 76ers
December 23 vs. Boston Celtics
December 26 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
December 27 @ Charlotte Hornets
Orlando's schedule eases up a bit in the beginning of this week, with matchups against the winless Philadelphia 76ers and the Celtics.
The team won't make the same mistake it did with Utah the prior week, so expect solid wins against both Philly and Boston.
The 76ers played Orlando to the buzzer earlier this season at the Wells Fargo Center, and Boston is a tough matchup despite its record, but Orlando gets it going early in the week with LeBron James and the Cavs looming after Christmas.
In their first clash this season, Cleveland eviscerated Orlando 106-74 on November 24 behind 29 points and 11 assists from James.
One would expect a closer score this time around, especially just a day after Cleveland travels to Miami for what's sure to be an emotional game for James on Christmas against his former team.
Cleveland will be ripe for the picking, but Orlando isn't at that level yet where it can steal a game from a team of this caliber.
Behind James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, Cleveland will fend off a scrappy Magic effort.
Still reeling from a tough loss against Cleveland the day before, Orlando closes out the week with another loss against the Charlotte Hornets. Orlando beat Charlotte in their first meeting back on November 21.
It's been a disappointing start thus far for the Hornets at 4-11, but they have enough firepower to take out an inconsistent Magic team. Give Charlotte the edge at home in this one.
Projected Record: 2-2
Week 5: December 28-31
5 of 6
December 29 @ Miami Heat
December 30 vs. Detroit Pistons
Before 2014 draws to a close, the Magic look to steal a win on the road against their division rival: the Miami Heat.
In their first matchup on November 22 at Orlando, Chris Bosh and Vucevic battled like big men from a bygone NBA era—albeit with Bosh playing much further away from the basket.
Bosh nailed four threes en route to 32 points and 10 rebounds in the 99-92 Heat victory. Vucevic scored 33 points and pulled down an outstanding 17 rebounds.
Even during Miami's title run, its Achilles' heel has always been its rebounding. Not much has changed this season, as the team still ranks dead last in the NBA with 36.4 boards per game. Rebounding is a strength for Orlando and an aspect of the game it will look to exploit.
With another performance like that from Vucevic and big contributions from Harris and Channing Frye, Orlando will certainly challenge Miami.
The outcome of this game would typically be predicated on the status of Dwyane Wade, who has missed Miami's last six games with an ankle injury, including the victory at Orlando. However, even with Wade's potential absence, the slight edge goes to Miami and Bosh at home.
"They're a veteran team, a championship team," Frye said after the first Heat game per Ken Hornack of Fox Sports. "And they did a better job. But one out of two on a back-to-back—there could be worse things."
Indeed. Orlando will hope for a similar split as the team returns to the Amway Center for the 2014 finale against the Detroit Pistons. Orlando won the first meeting 107-93 on November 17.
The Magic regroup from their loss at Miami and take care of the struggling Pistons at home to close the year out on a positive note. Andre Drummond and Josh Smith anchor one of the league's most horrific offenses, ranking 28th in scoring (92.2) and 29th in assists (17.8). Pencil in a resounding victory for the Magic as they close out December.
Projected Record: 1-1
Month-End Recap
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Projected December Record: 7-9
With a projected record of 7-9 for the month of December, it appears to be much of the same for the inconsistent Magic.
After starting the month on a brutal West Coast road trip, putting the team in a 1-3 hole, Orlando returns home for games against some of the East's best. There is very little margin for error with a team looking to gain some traction in the East playoff picture.
Games against Toronto, Washington, Cleveland and Miami will go a long way in gauging where this Magic team is at and if it is ready to take that next step and challenge for a playoff spot.
No one expects a subpar team to go cross-country and sweep a West Coast road trip, but if you want to make the playoffs, you need to beat teams in your conference—particularly at home.
"We know we haven’t done anything yet," Vucevic said, per Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. "We're heading in the right direction. We've just got to keep it going."
2015 could bring great things for this up-and-coming squad, but it has to get through December first.
All team and individual statistics courtesy of ESPN and accurate as of November 25. Follow Stephen on Twitter: @S_Albertini
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